Hey everyone, so it looks l may well be spending a couple months in Puerto Rico working this summer. I'm pretty excited, but I've been wondering about a few questions that some of you may be able to shed some light on:
(a) How trans and queer friendly is Puerto Rico? I've usually been read over the years as somewhere between dyke and ->-bleeped-<-, and recently I've also been read as a straight boy sometimes. I might be able to get read as a straight guy this summer if necessary, but I probably can't guarantee that it will be 100%. Any thoughts on whether or not there might be issues, and whether or not keeping my mouth shut about my transness/queerness will be important in terms of safety? If location matters, I'll probably be traveling around various places but not much in San Juan.
(b) And as a follow up question, I know most of the standard slurs in Spanish for gay men, but I don't know the slang for dykes and trans folk as well. Is there any Puerto Rican slang that I ought to be aware of?
(c) Any tips for binding in the heat and doing physical work? I'm from a place that gets pretty warm in the summer and I've worked physical jobs in the summer before, but I've mostly been able to avoid binding for it. I'm concerned about breathing, convincing myself to wear another layer in the heat, back acne from the sweat, and so on. Any suggestions for handling it or solidarity for the suffering?
I'm Puerto Rican. Puerto Rico is behind on many things. And crime against trans women is more common than the government lets on. You need to be very careful. Crime is an issue regardless of orientation. You need to know who to talk to and who to let in on things. Last time i went to Puerto Rico I was presenting as a butch lesbian and no one have me crap for it. But I was in a small town where no one really gives a crap. I wasn't holding anyones hand though. And I live in Florida. It it humid. It is hot. And it sucks to bind. They is no way around this sucking
I live in Osaka so I can't speak to Puerto Rico, but I can to binding in the heat. Use baby powder or another similar product to help with sweat absorption. There is no real way to deal with the heat comfortably even sans binder. Drink lots of fluids, take breaks and know the signs of heat exhaustion.
Obviously the best thing you can do is not bind, but I know for a lot of folks that isn't an option